What a Charleston carriage tour costs
Good news first, the public carriage rides in Charleston barely differ on price. An hour in a shared carriage costs ~$45–50 a person whichever barn you pick, so the real decisions lie elsewhere. This guide puts all eleven rides from these pages in one table, then adds what the ticket leaves out.
Eleven rides in one table
Below are the six carriage tours from our home page and five extras that appear in these guides, each at its regular "from" price on the cheaper booking site. Three of them are priced per carriage for a group of up to four rather than per person, which the "Priced" column flags.
| Ride | From | Priced | Length | Starts at | Free cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old South historic tour (our pick) | ~$50 | Per person | 1 h | 14 Anson Street | 24 h |
| Palmetto downtown tour | ~$50 | Per person | 1 h | 8 Guignard Street | 24 h |
| Carolina Polo historic tour | ~$45 | Per person | 1 h | 45 Pinckney Street | 24 h |
| Old South haunted evening | ~$45 | Per person | 40 min | 14 Anson Street | 24 h |
| Palmetto private daytime | ~$250 | Per group of up to 4 | 1 h | 8 Guignard Street | 24 h |
| Palmetto haunted evening | ~$50 | Per person | 45 min | 8 Guignard Street | 24 h |
| Palmetto private evening | ~$275 | Per group of up to 4 | About 30 min | Palmetto Carriage Works | On the listing |
| Carolina Polo private hour | ~$300 | Per group of 1–4 | 1 h | 45 Pinckney Street | On the listing |
| Charleston Carriage Works | ~$50 | Per person | 1 h | 20 Anson Street | On the listing |
| Walks of Charleston (on foot) | ~$30 | Per person | About 2 h | Downtown | On the listing |
| Old Town Trolley (minibus) | ~$41 | Per person | About 40 min | Loop with a City Market stop | On the listing |
The six main tours all cancel free until 24 hours before departure, and you can reserve now and pay later. For the five extras, read the terms on each listing before counting on a refund.
The day rides cost almost the same
For the standard hour in a shared carriage, the three companies sit within a few dollars of one another. Old South Carriage Co.'s historic tour, from ~$50, is our pick. It covers more than 2.5 miles (4 km) in the hour, you wait in a sheltered barn with a lobby, and over 11,000 Viator reviewers give it 4.8 on average. Palmetto Carriage Works' downtown tour, from ~$50, matches that on GetYourGuide, and Viator shows it at $49.95. Its guides belong to the Palmetto Guild, which means passing a city exam and recertifying every three years.
The cheapest day ride belongs to Carolina Polo & Carriage Co., from ~$45. You check in with an attendant inside the barn on Pinckney Street and take the next carriage that leaves. It sells on Viator only and has a smaller pool of reviews (4.7 from 528+). With so little between the three, let the barn and the departure time decide.
Evening rides and the price per minute
Both haunted evening rides cost about what a day ride costs but run shorter. Old South's haunted evening tour, from ~$45, lasts 40 minutes. Palmetto's haunted evening ride, from ~$50, lasts 45. You pay roughly the daytime price for about two thirds of the time, so per minute these are the dearest shared seats in the table. In return you get the ghost stories and cooler air under lit lamps, though one Palmetto rider wished it had lasted a full hour. Our guide to haunted and evening carriage rides sets the two side by side.
Palmetto's private evening carriage stretches the gap further. At ~$275 per group for about 30 minutes, it is the costliest ride per minute among all eleven, paid for the privacy and the late hour.
Private carriages, two sites, two prices
A carriage for your party alone is where the booking site matters most. Palmetto's private daytime ride, from ~$250 per group of up to four, shows that price on GetYourGuide. Viator lists the same private hour at about $325 per group. Since it is the same company and the same kind of carriage, open both listings for your date before paying. Four people sit in the carriage, and children under 2 can ride free on a lap, up to six in all with two infants.
A carriage for four, priced on two sites
Palmetto's private hour gives your party its own licensed guide and a smaller carriage from the Big Red Barn, from ~$250 per group of up to four. Viator listed the same hour at about $325, so compare both, and cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.
Carolina Polo sells a private hour too. Carolina Polo's private historic tour, from ~$300 per group of one to four people, leaves the Pinckney Street barn at the time you book, in the next free carriage. It is on Viator only and costs more than Palmetto's GetYourGuide price. The city still sets the route, so going private does not buy you a street of your choosing. Private carriage rides in Charleston covers what changes and what stays the same.
A family of four, priced both ways
Take two adults and two children. On Old South's public hour, four full-price seats come to four times ~$50, and Viator lists discounted child rates for both Old South and Palmetto, which brings the family total down. A single private Palmetto carriage at ~$250 per group costs somewhat more than four adult seats, and the difference grows once child rates apply. The extra pays for a guide who talks only to your family, no strangers in the photos, and a pace set around your children. With a baby, Palmetto's private carriage and Charleston Carriage Works both let under-2s ride free on a lap. Ages and seating rules are in carriage rides with kids.
What the ticket leaves out
- Tips. None of the listings include them, and in the US a driver-guide expects one. A few dollars a person is the usual gesture, more after an hour you enjoyed;
- Parking. City garages near City Market sit a block or two from every barn. Another route is to leave the car at the Visitor Center on Meeting Street and take the free DASH shuttle downtown. Where the carriage tours start describes each barn and its streets;
- Drinks. Palmetto's Barn Shop sells drinks and snacks. You may bring your own snacks, but not alcohol;
- Room to spread out. Palmetto lets you buy an extra seat if a full carriage would feel tight.
Cancelling, and the 15-minute rule
Because all six main tours refund in full up to a day ahead, you can book early and still change your mind when the forecast firms up. The money you can actually lose sits at the barn door. Each company asks you to check in about 15 minutes before departure. Old South's GetYourGuide listing moves latecomers to the next carriage, while its Viator listing warns that a late arrival may lose the booking with no refund, so allow time for parking. When weather stops the carriages, Old South's GetYourGuide listing offers a refund or a new date. Summer heat can halt rides in the afternoon, as how the carriage horses are cared for explains.
Against walking or the trolley
A carriage is not the cheapest way to see the old city with a guide. Walks of Charleston's walking tour, from ~$30, gives you about two hours with a guide for less than a carriage seat, with a 4.9 average from more than 7,000 Viator reviews. Its catch is two hours on foot, which in summer heat feels very different from sitting under a canopy. The Old Town Trolley, from ~$41, runs a 40-minute air-conditioned loop for a little less than a carriage. Per minute the carriage costs more than both, because you are paying for the horse and an unhurried pace. Where your carriage goes is decided by the city on the day, as carriage routes and the city lottery describes.